𝘾𝙃𝘼𝙋. 𝙏𝙃𝙄𝙍𝙏𝙔 𝙀𝙄𝙂𝙃𝙏 ─── 𝖲𝖤𝖠𝖲𝖮𝖭 𝟮
❝ 𝖧𝖤 𝗞𝗡𝗘𝗪 𝖳𝖧𝖤 𝗥𝗜𝗦𝗞𝗦 ❞
❪ 𝘛𝘏𝘌 𝘽𝙊𝙓 𝘖𝘍 𝙋𝙊𝙇𝘼𝙍𝙊𝙄𝘿𝙎 ❫

𝟥𝟪. ╱ ✷ ❝ haven't you 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗱? 𝗵𝗲'𝘀 on 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲 ❞

"THE FUCK ARE you three doing?" Bryce asked, looking at the three teens that stood at the bottom of the stairs that lead up to his house.

"Just hold on." Justin tells him.

"He's gonna keep doing it." Clay says to Justin and Riley, "We have to stop him, Justin, Riley."

Riley shakes her head, "Not like this."

"I'm calling the cops." Bryce moves to go inside.

"Just shut the fuck up and hold on, Bryce." Justin yelled, stopping him.

"It's never gonna get any better. You were right to run away." Clay said.

"No, I wasn't. That's why you came and got me, remember?" Justin asked him. "For Jess, for Hannah."

"Hannah wants him dead." Whispered Clay.

"No, I don't think she does." Says Riley, "I don't this she wants people to keep getting hurt. I don't, we don't, Clay."

Justin reaches down as Riley is talking to clay, grabbing the gun from his hand.

"This is fucking ridiculous." Bryce said, turning around but pausing at the sound of the gun in Justin's hand cocking.

"You're gonna go back inside and you're gonna pour yourself another glass of whiskey, and you're gonna forget that we were ever here, got it?" Justin spoke to Bryce, but kept his eyes on Clay, making sure that Riley was still behind him before he led Clay to the backseat of his own car, Riley getting in the passenger seat."

"I heard they just filled for another additional witness." Bryce said as Justin closed the backdoor to the car, "That wouldn't be you by any change, would it? You should be more scared than you are, Justin."

"Bryce, I've got nothing left to loose." Justin tells him, "That makes me the dangerous one."

彡☆

"WHAT THE FUCK?" Justin mumbled as he saw a car following behind them.

"What is it?" Clay asked.

Riley frowned, looking back, "We're being followed."

"Are you sure?" Clay questioned the two of them.

Justin makes a wrong turn, the car following behind, "We'll lose him."

"Dude, it's a fucking Prius." Clay looked at him as if he had two heads.

"And I'm a fucking amazing driver." Justin tells him, making another turn.

彡☆

JUSTIN SIGHED AS her pulled up in front of the Jensen home.

"We're clear." Clay says.

"What the fuck was that?" Justin asked.

"Probably the person fucking will all of us."

"Bryce."

Riley shakes her head, "That wasn't his car."

"Well, one of his boys." Justin shrugged.

"Because you're testifying. Tomorrow." Riley tells him.

"You . . . you're really gonna do it, right?" Clay asked Justin.

彡☆

RILEY CLEANED AROUND her computer desk as she looked down at the photo of her and Scott that had mysteriously ended up in the front of her History book.

Smiling softly as she came across an old birthday card, the smile fell as she noticed it was the same hand as on the back of the picture, and same as the handwriting that was on the back of the shooting target that Alex had been sent.

"Fucking hell."

She quickly rushed to grab her car keys and phone of her bedside table, running out of her bedroom, down the stairs and out of the front door, ignoring her aunt and uncle in the kitchen.

"Our niece is so weird." Matt tells his wife.

"She's only your niece when she's being weird."

彡☆

"ALEX?" CAROLYNN KNOCKED on the door of her son's bedroom, Riley and Zach standing behind her.

Zach starts to pound on the door, "Alex!"

"Jesus, Zach, just open the door." Riley rolled her eyes, grabbing the doorknob and pushing it open, "Alex."

"What? I'm alive." Alex wakes up, sitting up in the bed, "Oh, hey, guys."

"'Hey guys'? Did you not hear us pounding on the door?" Zach asked him.

"I don't know. I must've fallen asleep."

"Alexander Dean Standall, what is this?" Carolynn held up the bag of Sour Patch kids. "Do you know the damage these things can do to your health?"

"The only damage they do is to the roof of your mouth, mom." Alex tells her.

"Well, we're back to a healthy breakfast. Zach, Riley, you're both welcome to join." She tells them before walking out.

"What's the big emergency?" Alex asked them.

"This is what I woke up to this morning." Zach held up his phone before reading off the screen, "12:12 am, 'Someone gave me a bullet'. 12:13 am, 'someone gave me a gun', 12:37 am, 'I figured it all out'. You can't fucking text shit like this to a person and then fall asleep."

"Okay, I couldn't explain more because my thumbs got tired." Alex says.

"The last time you didn't respond to our texts and calls you. . . ," Riley trailed off.

"I know."

Zach sighed, sitting down as Riley went to sit next to Alex on his bed, "So, what the hell is going on."

"I know who's messing with us." Alex tells them.

"Monty." Riley says, and the two boys look at her, "I found a picture of me and Scott-,"

"Scott? Scott Reed?" Alex raised an eyebrow at the blonde.

"Yeah, we've been together for a while." Riley tells him, "Anyway. . . . Since the threats have been going on, I've been trying to figure out who's been doing it. I found an old birthday card on my desk and the handwriting matched. Monty's handwriting hasn't changed since Freshman year."

Alex glanced at the blonde, "I don't know where he is."

彡☆

"YOU'RE PARENTS SAID we could drive together." Justin walked out of the house as Riley got out of her car from being with Alex and Zach. "And they'll be right behind us in one of the other Priuses. Jensen."

Both cousin's turned to look at him, seeing a note written in red held in his hands, "YOU TALK, YOU DIE'.

"Fucking, Monty." Riley mumbles under her breath, running her fingers through her blonde hair.

彡☆

"BEING FRIENDS WITH him, it was about loyalty. But it was also about fear."

"And how would you describe Mr. Walker's relationship with girls?" Dennis asked Justin as Riley, Tony and Clay sat next to each other, the three being their to show their support for Justin. "Were they fear based as well?"

"Yes, sir." Justin answered, "They were like conquest to him. He would always brag about what he'd done with girls. And then he'd call them sluts for hooking up with him."

"And did he ever mention an "on-again, off-again" relationship with Hannah Baker?"

"No,sir. Because it never happened." Justin says, "Maybe they hung out, but there's no way he would've hooked up with her and not told me about it.

"Because he liked to brag, as you said?" Dennis asked him.

"Exactly."

"How would you describe Hannah?"

"She was really kind and funny. I liked her from the first time I saw her. We only had one real date, but it was . . . it was nice. And I got in, like, a fight with my mom's boyfriend. I texted Hannah, and she said to come over. She just let me sleep there all night. She slept on her own floor." Justin says. "I knew Bryce wasn't going to leave me alone. I had to tell him something. I don't know why that was more important to me than doing right by Hannah. Friendship, I guess. Being a man. Wanting him to think I was more than I was somehow. Maybe Bryce sent it around because he was jealous. Or maybe because he's just cruel. I don't know. I don't know why people send around photos like that. Bryce did shi - stuff like that all the time."

"Tell me what you saw when you went back into the room that night." Dennis tells Justin.

"We'll renew our objection. Irrelevant and inflammatory." Sonya objected to the question.

"I just wanna bash her head against the table that she's sitting at." Riley hissed quietly.

Tony chuckles, "Maybe you should try out some anger management classes too. Boxing is a great way to get the anger out."

"Shut up." She playfully pushes him.

"Your Honor, we're establishing that Bryce Walker engaged in a pattern of behavior and that the school was aware. The defense claims no such behavior took place. We have a right to respond." Dennis told the judge.

"Witness will answer."

"I went back into the room. Jessica was passed out and Bryce was standing over her, and his . . . his pants were unzipped. And she had her panties off and she wasn't moving. Her eyes were closed. It - it was like she was dead." Justin tells them, eyes locked with Riley for a sense of comfort, "I tried to pull him off, but he shoved me out and locked the door. I just sat there listening. Listening to him . . . and her. It . . . it sounded like she started to wake up."

"Did you think of calling the police and calling for help?" Dennis asked.

"I did. I - But I was afraid." Justin answered.

"Afraid of what?"

"I don't know. Afraid of losing my best friend. My girlfriend. My entire life." Justin said, "Which I guess I already lost. I'll regret this forever."

彡☆

"WHAT'S UP?" ZACH asked as Alex came out of the office.

"So . . . they don't know about yesterday, but he missed the first three periods today."

"How'd you get that out of Mrs. Douglas?" Asked Zach.

"It's the cane, dude. Told her her was supposed to help me with PT."

"But I help you with that."

"Clearly, it was a lie, Zach. Oh, my God. What's next?" Alex asked.

"We need Clay, Tony and Riley."

彡☆

"SO, YOU WERE intoxicated at this party, is that correct?" Sonya asked Justin.

"Yes."

"And you would regularly get drunk at parties, isn't that true?"

"Yeah, I guess, sometimes."

"And you're a habitual user of heroin, isn't that correct?" Sonya asked.

"Objection. Relevance?" Dennis spoke up.

"Goes to capacity and reliability, your Honor." Sonya says.

"Overruled."

"Justin, you're a heroin addict, isn't that correct?" Sonya asked.

"I wasn't them. I'm in recovery." Justin tells her.

"And on the night of question, you brought Jessica upstairs with the intention of having sex with her, correct?"

"I thought it might go there." Justin tells her.

"And you never actually saw Bryce and Jessica during inter course, correct?"

"I heard noises."

"Noises that could have been sounds of two very drunk teenagers having sex, correct?"

"No. Jessica was passed out. She couldn't - she couldn't speak."

"She couldn't speak when you left her."

"I literally just left the room." Justin tells her.

"And when you entered the room, you saw Bryce standing over her, not on top of her, correct?" Sonya questioned.

"Yeah, but he shoved me out."

"Mr. Foley, isn't it true that you never saw Bryce assault anyone?" Sonya questioned.

"No, that's not true."

"Isn't it true that you concocted this rape story to save yourself the embarrassment of what really happened?" Sonya asked, "Your girlfriend cheated on you with your best friend."

"No."

"Objection."

"And isn't it true that you left town rather than face the truth?" Sonya asked.

"No." He glanced at Riley.

"You didn't leave town?"

"I mean, I left town, but it was not to avoid any-,"

"And wasn't the heroin also a way to avoid the truth?"

"Objection."

"And aren't you lying now?" Sonya asked.

"Bitch." Riley growled, going to stand up but was quickly held down by Clay and Tony.

"Down, kitty." Tony mumbled.

"Asked and answered!" Dennis called.

"No, I'm telling the truth, I . . . he raped her." Justin says, "I'm telling the truth."

彡☆

"THE JURY'S NOT buying it. We have to go after him." Clay says as they stood outside of the courtroom, now joined by Alex and Zach. "And we need those pictures."

"Who would know where he is?" Alex asked.

"And why would they tell us?" Zach questioned.

"Riley . . . ," Clay turned to his cousin.

Riley lets out a sigh as she pulls out her phone, "I'm not positive, but I think I know where he could be. But let me ask someone just to be sure."

彡☆

"IN THE FIRST years of life, children rely on their parents. But there comes a time when every parent must share their child with the world, with a school. In the hands of Liberty High School, Hannah Baker was bullied and harassed. And she asked for help twice." Dennis spoke to the jury. "First, anonymously through a letter read aloud in class and ultimately ignored by her teacher. And then Hannah did what most students who are suffering do not. She went to her school counselor. And she suggested a fellow student. She went to a mandatory reporter for help. And yes again, her cries were ignored. Hannah may have been a complicated girl, as the defense had suggested, but this case is simple. Hannah Baker asked for help, and Liberty High School failed to provide it."

彡☆

NOW IT WAS Sonya's turn to talk to the jury, and Clay and Tony had to hold Riley down so that she wouldn't get up in the middle of her talking to do something that could possibly get her arrested in the middle of court.

"Many factors contributed to Hannah Baker's suicide. Some of which we may never know. But here is what we do know. She never reported any of her conflicts with students and she never said she was raped." Sonya spoke, "Her parents never reached out to the school for any reason. Hannah was a troubled girl with issues at home, a family history with health concerns, and evidence of low self-esteem. This was a tragedy. A promising young life lost. But school faculty cannot go home with their students. I'll leave you with this question. When do we hold the parents responsible."

彡☆

"SO NO ONE has seen that fucking box?" Bryce asked as the baseball players, including Scott, stood in the locker room, "Guys, if those pictures end up with the wrong person, I'm - I'm done. We're all fucking done."

"Dude, some of those pictures are just, like, partying or whatever." Scott says, jaw clenching as he thinks about the Polaroid that his girl friend had shown him.

"You think that fucking matters?" Bryce asked, "We're all in this together now."

"No." Scott shakes his head, grabbing his stuff and slamming the locker doors closed, "You're on you're fucking own, man."

彡☆

"GUYS." RILEY TURNED her phone toward the five boys, a text from Scott on displayed.

"Guess, you're baseball player isn't bad after all." Clay smirks at him cousin.

"Shut up, and let's go. Scott's gonna meet us there."

彡☆

SCOTT SAT ON a chair in the middle of graffiti covered walls in the middle of somewhere as Monty walked inside, a backpack thrown over his shoulder and a black plastic bag in his hand.

"Hey, Scotty." Monty greets the boy.

"Bryce is looking for you." Scott tells him.

"You didn't tell him about this place, did you?" Monty asked him.

"No, I told you, I never would." Scott stood up, and walked towards Monty as he sat the bag in an old milk create. "But who are you hiding from this time?"

"My dad's on a fucking tear, man. Came at me with a hammer." Monty tells him, "So, a few days in the hobo hotel. Don't tell Riley, she'll fucking kill me. How come you're here?"

"I'm not a rapist, Monty." Scott tells him.

Monty scoffed, "Okay."

"And I'm sick of people assuming I am. Especially Riley's family." Scott stated, "Look, we've been taking care of Bryce for too long, man. Come on, enough's enough."

"Okay, so what do you want me to do?" Monty asked him, turning around as he heard footsteps behind him.

"Give us the Polaroids back." Clay tells him.

"What the fuck, Scott?"

"They told me what you've been doing." Scott says.

"Wait, you're the one who fucking narc'd about the Clubhouse?" Asked Monty.

"Nope." Zach came out with Alex and Riley, who quickly walked over to Scott and wrapped her arms around his waist, "I did."

"Oh, right. Of course you did." Monty spits on the ground, "Fuck this, I'm out."

He turned around only to be stopped by Tony and Justin coming out.

"What's the matter, Monty?" Tony asked, "You scared?"

"We know what you did." Clay says, "Running me off the road."

"The picture of me and Riley." Scott wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"The target."

"Dead rat."

"My fucking car."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Monty tells them, looking over each of them, his eyes lingering on Riley longer than the others, a look of disappointment flashing through her eyes.

"Don't fucking look at her." Justin spat, being the one to notice.

"Give us the pictures back and we'll let you go." Alex tells him.

"You'll let me go? Or what, you're gonna hit me with your cane again?" Monty asked before Alex pulled a gun out.

"Oh, shit." Zach says.

"Whoa."

Scott moved in front of his girlfriend, keeping a hand behind him with their fingers intertwined.

"Hey, Alex." Clay says.

"Alex, where'd you get that gun?" Justin asked him.

"Monty gave it to me." Alex says.

"Okay. Alright, Yeah, I'll give you the Polaroids." Monty nodded his head, "And then I'm clean. That's the deal."

"Fine. So hand them over." Clay tells him.

"I have to go get them. They're not here."

"I'll go with you.'

"Alex." Zach speaks.

"No. I go with him."

彡☆

"OKAY, DON'T FREAK out." Alex spoke as Jessica opened her front door.

"Don't start that way, and I won't." Jessica tells him and Clay.

"Monty doesn't have the pictures."

"What?"

"And he lied to me and ditched me." Alex tells her, "And I'm so sorry."

Jessica let out a sigh.

"I so wanted the pictures to be the answer. I tried, Jess. I really tried." Alex said, "I only wanted this to be okay for you and to never have to think about it again."

"I know."

"And this is not our place to say. I get that." Clay speaks up, "And -and we shouldn't even be here. But, look, it's different now. With those pictures out there somewhere, all those girls need someone to stand up for them. We don't have the pictures, so we need you."

"And we get that you're afraid that people won't believe you or they'll come after you, and that's fair." Says Alex, "But we just want you to know that we just wanted you to know that we'll stand by you. We believe you. All of us."

Alex and Clay turned away from Jessica, to find Riley, Zach, Justin, Ryan and Courtney standing by Clay's car.

Even Scott was there, arm wrapped around Riley's shoulders as she and Zach joked around each other before Courtney catches their attention, making the two turn towards the door, all of them waving to Jessica.

"Six months ago, I told you I'd burn Hannah's tapes for you, and you told me not to." Clay says, "Because you know that her story needed to be heard. And so does yours. And you don't have to be afraid anymore. And as lonely as it is, you'll never be alone."

"Riley and I told him not to say that because it's cheesy." Alex says, earning a laugh from Jessica. "But point is . . . whenever you're ready, we are too."

"If I do this, everything changes." Jessica tells them.

"Maybe it needs to change."

"Wait." Jessica stops them, "Is that Scott Reed? What's he doing here?"

"Haven't you heard?" Clay shot Jessica a smirk, "He's on our side."

"Riley!" Jessica calls out to the blonde with a smirk on her face as she points her finger at Scott, the others watching in confusion, "Mystery boy?!"

Riley smirks back as she leans into Scott's side, "Mystery boy!"

彡☆

EVERYONE SAT IN the lobby of the Evergreen County Police "Department, waiting for Jessica and Justin to come back.

The doors came open and Justin comes out from the interrogation room, taking a seat in the empty chair next to Alex.

Seconds later, the doors came open again and Jessica walked out with her parents. Everyone stood up, Scott intertwining his fingers with Riley's.

"I'm so proud of you." Alex tells the girl.

Jessica laughed, hugging him. "Thank you."

Jessica's dad walked around the group to talk to Justin as Jessica turned to face Riley and Scott.

"I knew you could do it." Riley grinned, the two girls tightly hugging each other.

"I know you don't trust me and you, and all the others, have the right not to but I just wa-,"

Jessica cut the Reed boy off by pulling him into a hug, "Thank you for making her happy." She whispered in his ear.

"I'll always make her happy," Scott tells her, "For as long as she'll let me."

彡☆

"ALL RISE."

Everyone stood up in the courtroom, Riley and Scott intertwining their fingers.

"The Honorable Judge Martin Campbell presiding."

The doors to the judges chambers came open and the judge came out. "Be seated. Bailiff, bring in the jury, please. Madam Forewoman, have you reached a verdict?"

"We have, your Honor."

"What say you?"

"We the Jury, in the case of Andrew and Olivia Baker versus the Evergreen Country School District, find the defendant not responsible."

Loud chatter filled the room, the judge banging his gavel. "Come to order. Thank you, litigators, and thank you, jury, for your patience, deliberation, and service during this proceeding. The court is adjourned."

彡☆

"MY DAUGHTER WASN'T the perfect victim. There's no such thing." Olivia spoke to the news stations, Riley and the other's standing behind her, "Hannah was a beautiful young woman. Full of like, and dreams, and passions, and fears, and failings like any other teenage girl. And we let her down."

"And people wanna point to the parents, but we didn't allow her to be bullied, and we didn't send her away when she came and asked for help, and we didn't send her back to class with her rapist. Boys bullied her and adults allowed it. You know, I don't know...a single woman who hasn't faced sexual assault, abuse, or worse."

Scott wrapped his arm around Riley's shoulders, kissing the top of her head as she wrapped her arms tightly around his waist.

"Not one. Many survive. My daughter didn't, and that's not her fault."

"Obviously, we are very disappointed with today's verdict. We presented a case that we believe in." Dennis spoke, "But despite today's outcome, we hope we've sent a message to all schools that they must do better and that this cannot happen again. Students deserve to feel safe."

Clay turned his head as he heard the doors open, "Fucking Bryce."

"We hope in the near future..."

"Bryce Walker." Alex's father walked over to him.

"Yes, sir?"

"You're under arrest for felony sexual assault."

"Excuse me--,"

"No. You can see him at the station." Deputy Standall says, "Clear a path, please."

"Clear a path."

"Lets go, folks. We need to get through."

"You're making a big fucking mistake." Bryce tells Jessica as he walks by.

"Justin Foley, you're under arrest...." Another deputy walked over to him, putting handcuffs on his hands.

"What?" Jessica questioned, turning to look.

".....as an accessory to felony sexual assault."

"Clay, Riley, what's going on?" Jessica asked.

"Justin...." Clay spoke up, "Mom? Mom?"

"Justin! Wait, no." Jessica followed after them.

"Jess, it's okay." Justin tells her.

"What?"

"It's okay?"

"Aunt Lainie, they -- they arrested Justin." Riley tells her aunt.

"I know, honey." Lainie smiled sadly at her niece and son, "Justin knew that was a risk, going on record about what happened..."

"Mom, he--he saved our lives." Clay tells her, "Alright? We have to help him?"

"We will. I promise."

"Justin!" Riley cried out, Scott having to wrap his arms around her waist to keep her from going after him, a sob leaving her lips.

Justin turned from where he was getting put into the squad car to mouth, "I'm gonna be fine! Everything is gonna be fine, Lee!"